By Harry Awurumibe, Editor, Abuja Bureau
Northern Elders Forum (NEF) chieftain, Hakeem Baba-Ahmed and his South East Mandate Group counterpart, Dr. Katchy Ononuju are at odds over the demand of the Southern Governors’ Forum for the Presidency to shift to South in 2023.
While Baba-Ahmed will want the next President of Nigeria after President Muhammadu Buhari’s tenure in 2023 to come from anywhere contrary to the demand of Southern governors, Ononuju aligned himself with the demand of the Southern Governors.
Speaking on Channels Television breakfast programme Sunrise Daily on Wednesday, both men held tight to their views with the NEF’s Director of Publicity suggesting that another Northerner could emerge as the next President of the country in the next Presidential election.
But Ononuju who is also a renowned Economist insisted that the Presidency should return to the South, specifically to the South East part of Nigeria, pointing out that South East (Ndi Igbo) should get a shot at the Presidency of the country.
According to him: “In the interest of equity and justice, the next President of Nigeria should come from South East geopolitical zone and, of course a Nigerian President of Igbo extraction will be the magic to quell all the Separatists or Secessionist agitations and stop cries of marginalization”.
Prompt News reports that the Southern Governors’ Forum, an umbrella body of Governors from the 17 Southern states irrespective of political parties, at their second meeting in Lagos on Monday came out with a Six-Point Resolution which include demand for the next President of Nigeria to come from the Southern part of the country.
